Kindred
by mssnay
Summary: A love triangle over a woman ensues between two battling vampire clans. Jason, Elizabeth, Lorenzo, Sonny, Skye, Liason
1. The Embrace

The three inch heels of her six-hundred dollar pair of beaded Manolo Blanak's crunched on the white pellets of salt that graced one of the many sidewalks of New York's Upper East Side. She was already over an hour late for the party of all parties and needed to put a pep in her step because her attendance at this particular party was required.

The cold late December air drifted through her flowing red chiffon dress as it swayed from side to side with each urgent step she took. Although she was practically freezing to death even under the warmth of her knee length black wool coat, the fashionista in her fawned with delight over her newly purchased couture attire.

The sleeveless dress curved to her flawless figure, thin strips of gold crisscrossed under her breasts giving the impression of a more voluptuous rack. She looked amazing and had every intention of being seen tonight even if it meant that she had to trot through ten more blocks of freshly fallen snow to reach her destination

Hailing a cab in New York City was a sport. It required a certain kind of finesse and Elizabeth was an expert, however tonight it seemed to be a lost cause. It was New Year's Eve for god sakes, what did she expect?

She had been slipping and sliding in those ridiculous shoes for the past six blocks and the never-ending bombardment of snow didn't help. When she arrived at the corner of 84th and 3rd she decided to take a short cut through the alley between Starbucks and Victoria's Secret saving her the aggravation of haling her shivering tight bottom the full ten blocks. Besides, she had a much better chance of finding a cab on the other side.

She hated alleys, honestly who didn't. The ones in New York were especially seedy. They were dark, dingy and crawling with all kinds of vermin of the human species among other types. She bit down the urge to not take the short cut but figured the sooner she made it through the better. She could not miss the annual New Year's Eve Ball because it was a legendary event hosted by the infamous Lorenzo Alcazar. She had to be there come hell or high water because he asked her to attend, to stand by his side as not only his date but lover as well.

Elizabeth smiled at the thought of their new found relationship. It had been a world wind romance that mostly no one knew about. She met him at one of the many boring charity events she was forced to attend. From the moment their beaming blue eyes locked an invisible bond drew them toward one another. Shortly thereafter, he whisked her away to several exotic locals where they spent endless days making love and just being with one another.

Tonight, after only three weeks since their courtship he wanted to go public with their relationship. The excitement stirring inside of her caused tiny waves to flutter in her belly. What a wonderful way to start the New Year.

Dodging puddles of slush she hurried her steps. Midway through her excursion muffled sounds captured her attention. She slowed her steps attempting to peer through the chunks of large flakes descending from the heavens. She pawed her way through the precipitation and edged closer. Her right foot splashed into a puddle causing her to wince when the ice cold water drenched her foot.

The voices grew louder, more urgent. She forged on until she reached an oversized dumpster wherein she aligned herself along the side closest to the wall. Extending her snow covered head forward she identified two men arguing back and forth while as many as three more were hidden by the cumbersome trash container.

In the blink of an eye a harsh echo invaded her ears. She launched herself forward to see what was happening. Three men rushed towards her while three others pumped rounds into their retreating forms. Each man running towards her at full speed held a gun and returned fire. Bullets screamed by her head and there was nothing she could do.

She was frozen, unable to move any part of her body except her eyes. They followed the movements of the three strangers heading straight for her. A flash exploded in front of her forcing her body to react. She tilted backwards in slow motion, snow slamming into her porcelain face as warm thick liquid engulfed her forehead and slowly flowed marking a trail down her skin. Paid riddled her small frame when a searing ache punched through her abdomen, assisting her descension towards the ground. She didn't even realize she was falling until her body thumped against the powdered snow beneath her.

A calming darkness surrounded her. Staring up into the storm-filled sky, she wondered why she was lying down in the snow and ruining her new dress. Her fading blue eyes shifted and connected with the most brilliant shade of arctic blue she had ever seen. Without knowing what was happening, she felt hands all over her and then movement. What was happening? Was someone moving her? What about the party and Lorenzo? Finally the pain became unbearable and she lost the battle to stay awake.

Her eyes were wide open devoid of any indication of life as they stared up at him in the back seat of the car. Blood continued to gush out of the hole in her head and the other in her stomach. She lurched upward gasping for air while her beautiful ocean blue orbs remained transfixed, blankly glaring at nothing. She was dying and the end was near.

"I can't let her die."

"What has happened is unfortunate, but there is nothing that can be done. You know the rules."

He swept his fingers across the soft skin of her face and watched as the light in her dimmed. Her body jerked, twitched in a last ditch effort to stay alive and fight.

They moved, but he wasn't sure if it was real. Her eyes stirred and she looked directly at him. He hovered over her like a protector. They locked eyes; she pulled him into the depths of her weakening soul, begging him to do something without uttering a word.

"I won't let you die," he whispered.

"Don't do it Jason," the voice of his companion boomed in warning. "We'll dump her body in the river on our way back. There is nothing…"

"NO! She doesn't deserve this. For god sakes look at her, she's…she's…"

He made the decision without a second thought. He would save her, he had to. None of this was her fault.

She managed to flush out the last bit of air that lingered in her lungs as the darkness returned. This time it was different, it was comforting, quiet, loving. She wasn't afraid to let go and let it consume her.

Guilt tormented and overwhelmed him. He felt completely responsible for the ending of this woman's life, the woman that lay dying on the buttery black leather in his limo. He couldn't stand by and do nothing. He had the power to save her.

He leaned over and smelled the rancid stench of death form around her. His fingers absently touched her cool skin. There was no denying that her life would end in a matter of seconds so he did what needed to be done.

Turning her head to the side, Jason sunk his protruding teeth into the base of her neck without further hesitation. The taste of her blood ignited a primal hunger in him and he devoured her flesh. She tasted like nothing he had ever experienced before. Mingled in the acrid taste was a sweetness that coursed through his veins awakening a desire he had relinquished hundreds of years ago.

She shifted under him and cried out when his sharpened canines dug deeper piercing the thick vein that resided along the column of her neck. Her heart thumped against her chest wall, she gulped in air filling her lungs until she felt the restricted confines of suffocation. Her body felt both dead and alive at the same time.

The grumblings of discontent filled the small compartment of the vehicle. The other two men shook their heads in disbelief as they witnessed one of the most feared vampires in the world sire a dying woman. It had been over one hundred years since he had done something like this, however the rules had drastically changed and he would answer to the clans for his indiscretion.

Her cobalt blue eyes turned a viscous black when her body finally gave into the darkness and died. He crept upward intently watching the transformation. Her now ebony eyes were lifeless. Elizabeth's skin was tainted an eerie shade of blue while every tissue and organ inside her body decayed into nothing. The entire process lasted less than a minute.

The shimmer of a life reborn took form. The woman's flesh glistened as his blood traveled through her. Each drop clung to her cells and drenched her veins. The rebirth of Elizabeth Webber would allow her to live as he lived, a quiet nocturnal existence among the unsuspecting and unknowing human race.

She awakened before their eyes with a new definition of life. Rising into a sitting position she licked her dry lips tasting the remaining mixture of their blood. She spoke no words as they were not needed.

The wicked craving violently burning through her made her anxious. She fidgeted in the seat awkwardly until he loomed closer to her. He recognized the ensuing hunger.

"You need to feed."

She watched them closely. She was afraid. So many emotions flooded her mind and body and her ability to control them, let alone understand them seemed out of reach. An unknown force lived inside of her. It spoke to her, begged her to feed it so it could live.

He moved closer to her until his thigh rubbed against hers. Electricity soured through the both of them with that innocent touch.

"Do you understand what I said?" Jason always hated the initial process of an embrace.

The urge to rip his throat out and drain his body captivated her. She focused on the movement of his mouth when he spoke, but then her attention switched to the throbbing pulse of blood roaming just under his soft bronze skin.

He raised his left wrist to his mouth and clenched his sharp teeth into the flesh. Bright red plasma trickled out and she couldn't hinder the temptation to feed any longer.

She surged forward and clamped her lips around the wound and sucked feverishly hoping to drink until her starving body was satisfied.

Jason closed his eyes indulging himself with the sensuality of her taking him into her body. He hardened immediately with each flick of her tongue lapping in his blood. The prick of her teeth widening the cut so she could devour all of him sent him into a whirlwind of desire.

She would be his.

"Enough," he whispered as she continued to feed. She opened her eyes to watch him squirm uncomfortably. She tightened her grip around his arm and clawed through his flesh digging deeper.

"I said ENOUGH!" He tugged his arm away securing it close to his chest.

She leaned back into the seat and wiped the blood clinging to the corners of her full, blood soaked lips with her tongue.

"More," she muttered with a smirk.

She was now a vampire.

Lorenzo ran his index finger down the flute glass in his hand. He barely touched the champagne because his mind was occupied by something else, someone else.

He remembered their last encounter. She was naked, sprawled on top of him after yet another round of heated passion. His member hardened at the thought of her sweaty body thrashing under him as he rammed himself frantically into her until she could do nothing but scream his name.

The room thickened quickly with more bodies dressed in expensive clothes, sipping potions flown in from Europe, cleansing their palettes with caviar and other imported delicacies. This is what he did best; flaunt his wealth and notoriety with those that mingled in the same circles as he.

Affluence had granted him a very fulfilling life. He practically ruled over the city with his kinship to the 'old money' blue bloods of New York City. Lorenzo Alcazar was a businessman first and foremost, but an aristocrat nonetheless. He hailed from South America, the only son born to a wealthy plantation owner with lineage to the Spanish royal family.

He missed her. Elizabeth had been somewhat of a surprise, a dichotomy actually. Although they were connected by their mutual love for the finer things in life, she had an innocence to her that broke through the concrete surrounding his heart.

She was flamboyant, passionate, funny, creative and incredibly beautiful; he was sophisticated, soft-spoken, driven and lethal. They made an interesting combination to say the least. Strangely, what drew him to her was her love of art and history. They talked for hours and hours upon their first meeting about her paintings, his extensive library of history books and their favorite modern artists.

Elizabeth Webber was known as a spoiled little rich girl who easily squandered her family's immense fortune without batting an eye. To Lorenzo, she was Elizabeth, the other half of his heart.

In the three short weeks they had been together, he grew attached. Was it love? He didn't quite know since it had been many, many years since he felt his heart beat, especially for another person. What he did know was that he loved to wake up and see her shimmering blue eyes dancing just before she ravished him with wild wet kisses. He loved to hear her moan his name when he loved her body with his tongue.

The clanking of glasses brought him out of his haze. He breezed through the sea of unknown faces and ventured out onto the balcony. He welcomed the cold. It reminded him just how much he missed her warm skin wrapped around him.

The sliding glass door opened alerting him that his solace had ended.

"What?" he questioned without turning to see who joined him.

The tall gravely looking man stood next to Lorenzo and said, "There's been an incident."

What would New Year's Eve be without incidents? With a tenuous smile he asked, "What kind of incident?"

The man floated closer and muttered, "It's Ms. Webber sir."

Hearing her name, Lorenzo turned and grabbed the lapels of his visitor's tux pulling him forward. "What happened to Elizabeth?"

The cold air suddenly changed into a bitter, eerie darkness.

"She…uh…she…" the poor man stammered.

Lorenzo gripped the man's neck and squeezed. "Where is Elizabeth," he seethed, an orange glow tinting his eyes.

"She's been embraced sir."

Unequivocal rage penetrated him. Fury ignited his blood. Not his Elizabeth, god no. She was supposed to be his.

He opened his mouth allowing his canines to extend and then plunged them into the neck of the messenger, draining the elixir from his dying body before throwing the corpse over the railing and into the icy river.

No one crossed Lorenzo Alcazar, no one.


	2. Vampire

She was a vampire, a beast known for killing human beings by drinking their blood. Mmm blood, just thinking about the intoxicating taste made her wet. Stories from her childhood and endless movies about the fictional creatures added to the intrigue and mystique.

No one would ever believe a monster that lived to drink blood could ever exist. It was folklore that survived through the ages, but she proved that those like her were real and they roamed the earth for centuries under the guise of mysticism and children's tales.

Time seemed to stand still as an immortal. It no longer mattered; it had no bearing on anything in her life. She was free of it and from any kind of limitation.

Being the only child of a wealthy financier bought her freedom, but the way she felt now was exhilarating. She was acutely aware of everything, there were no bounds, nothing she needed to fear, nothing she couldn't have, nothing she wouldn't' do to get what she wanted.

Elizabeth followed him closely as they entered the two-story penthouse. It clearly depicted the masculinity of the man who lived there. She stood next to a cherry wood credenza and watched him go about his business as if she weren't even in the room. The two men who accompanied them dutifully stalked into the spacious living area and then escaped upstairs.

Jason paused in front of a small refrigerated container behind the bar and drew out a bottle. He twisted the sealed cap and tilted his head back allowing the liquid to skim his moist tongue and glide down his throat. He turned to her after finishing his drink.

"Are you afraid?" he questioned with a husky voice then licked his lips.

Brushing her hair back and taking a tentative step forward she responded, "Should I be?"

He offered her a small smile. For the first time that night Jason took a long hard look at the woman he sired. Beautiful wouldn't come close to accurately describing the enchantress. His gaze lingered longer than he anticipated, but he truly couldn't help himself.

He was enthralled by her; not only of her beauty, but the appeal that she now belonged to him. She would forever be apart of him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" A quirk of a smile caressed her mouth.

She caught him staring, but instead of it making him feel awkward or embarrassed he became aroused. This woman had an effect on him he didn't quite understand. He wasn't a novice, he had sired many but she was different somehow. The pull inside the pit of his belly to go to her and be with her emerged the instant he embraced her. The taste of her blood compelled him to not resist the unexplainable craving that surged within him.

"What's your name?"

Her cold fingers tweaked the chiffon material of her dress while her devil red colored toes curled when she looked at him. It was almost as if he could see right through her. She felt sensual under his intense scrutiny, like an electrified attraction burning inside her.

She came to him standing a few inches away.

"Elizabeth," she whispered.

Angling his head towards hers he replied, "You need to rest. Your body has endured a great deal tonight," he shimmied out of his leather jacket and flung it onto the sofa, "and it needs to rest. There will be residual effects of the embrace."

Unable to stay away, she crept behind him when he reached for another bottle to quench his thirst. "I'm not tired."

She was flirting with him and he enjoyed it way too much. He responded with a playful smile. If he chose to listen to what his body wanted, he would have picked her up, slammed her on top of the bar and taken her into his mouth. The desire was strong, but not stronger than logic.

"You can use the first room on the left," he said pointing to the top of the stairs. "If you need anything just ask." Ignoring her previous comment, he took a swig of the red elixir and headed towards to the second floor.

"Wait," she protested, shifting nervously in her stilettos. "Why did you save me?"

His movement ceased. "Because you asked." Turning slightly he peered at her questioning eyes. She didn't understand. "In the car you…your eyes," he cast his own downward and then released a lung full of air before he continued "you didn't want to die and besides none of this was your doing."

Jason couldn't bring himself to look at her. It had been over a century since his last embrace and he promised himself to never inflict the vampire life on anyone, like it had been done to him. He didn't realize she had moved closer until a charge rushed up his mammoth biceps when she touched him.

"You made me into a monster."

Her words broke the spell she had over him. He turned around so quickly her small hand stalled in the air. He wrapped his left palm around her tiny wrist and hissed, "If I didn't you would be floating in the river. Is that what you wanted?" The arctic blue cover of his eyes turned violent.

"I…y-your hurting me," she cried, but it didn't deter him. She swallowed the fear he evoked and asked, "What am I supposed to do now? What kind of life do I have?"

His grip tightened while his other hand entangled itself in her hair.

"It's **_A_** life," he screamed. "Better than death don't you think honey?"

He tried so hard to control it or at least keep it at bay until he was able to be alone and away from her, but the battle to stifle the need was lost. She was everywhere, draped over him like skin, coursing through his blood and invading his mind. He could smell her and taste her. The more he fought the hunger the more it intensified.

Her flesh was initially cool to the touch, but as the heat in him blazed she burned. The deep ocean blue hue of her eyes darkened to an unknown shade and her blood boiled.

"What do you want from me?" she hummed giving into a feeling she couldn't describe.

Jason glared at her once last time and watched the evolution take place. This is how it would be for the rest of their existence. She arched her head backward knowing what he wanted, calling to him and giving permission. With the force of a true beast, Jason crashed his protruding fangs deep into her sweet flesh.

His hips rubbed against hers as he drank. Elizabeth moaned at the touchl of his heated lips and the sucking sound of her blood filling his mouth. Her arms fell loosely by her side; she was losing all semblance of control as they began to drift upward toward the ceiling. She felt airy and light like a mist. He growled when she reciprocated the movement of his hips and ground herself into his arousal.

"Please stop." Her breathy plea only stirred him on to drink more, take more from her until she gave into him.

Unwittingly she arched her body pressing harder against him. "Ja-Jason…please," she beseeched hoping he would hear her. He mumbled something and released her flesh mesmerized by the thick liquid that continued to flow. She was weak, her body crumbled in his arms and nearly fell to the floor, but he caught her in time. Slowly they descended back down and when his boots clunked on the hardwood floor he loosened his hold slightly.

He scolded himself for what he had done. She was already weak from the initial embrace but taking from her again could have easily killed her. He knew all of this and it didn't stop him. His need to have her clobbered his common sense. She stirred in his arms but her eyes remained shut. The deep gash by her throat healed instantly leaving only soft, creamy unblemished skin.

Jason cupped his arm behind her knees and raised her. He padded upstairs and stalled at the room where she would call her own. Nudging the handle with his hips, he pushed the door open. He looked at her weakened form resting in his arms and sighed. Damn she was beautiful. Her skin glowed under the light of the moon filtering into the room.

He reached the expansive bed and deposited her. She lay atop the rich burgundy comforter completely unaware of anything and anyone. She looked at peace and her innocence tugged at his heart. He made a silent promise to never leave her or abandon her. Elizabeth was his responsibility and she would never want for anything.

* * *

He paced frantically around his apartment for several hours waiting for news on Elizabeth. Whoever sired her would pay dearly and so would the clan. A thick vein just below the surface of his right temple pulsed against the petrified skin.

His serrated canines hadn't retreated since he first learned of his Elizabeth's fate. Lorenzo ached to hold her, feel her softness and sample the sweet flavor of her womanhood.

It was planned since the night he met her. On New Years Eve, Lorenzo was to make her his; to bring her into the fold of the Ventru clan. She would rule the city beside him as his lover, partner and confidant. Elizabeth was the fire in him that glowed with each breath. She brought passion and love into his barren existence. She compelled him to not only live but thrive within the confines of the human world.

Thunderous footsteps dragged Lorenzo out of his melancholy thoughts. He relinquished his blanked stare over the snow-capped cityscape and spoke. "What have you learned?"

Randolph his loyal advisor and longtime friend paused in front of Lorenzo. "She's at Harborview with Morgan."

The vampire whirled around and lurched forward standing inches away from his friend, flexing his fangs. "She's Gangrel? That bastard made her into one of them?" His voice echoed throughout the palatial apartment like a howling savage. The reverberation of his rumbling tenor shook the furnishings causing a few to crack.

His loyal subject feared the panting creature that hovered before him. He had witnessed many of Lorenzo's rages over four centuries, but never had he seen him this manic and vicious. The older man clenched his jaw gnawing at his own flesh forcing blood to rain on the plush carpeting. His soulful aqua blue eyes glowed into a morbid shade of midnight.

"You find her," he wailed, "and bring her to me. I will handle Morgan once and for all. Those rabid dogs he calls a clan will never have _my_ Elizabeth." Huffing burning air and blood into Randolph's frightened face Lorenzo seethed. "GO!" he roared and his associate scurried away without a backward glance.

Mumbling incomprehensively to himself, Lorenzo returned his attention to the large window overlooking the city. Closing his blazing orbs, he concentrated on her. Her scent still lingered all over him and he focused all of his senses on her, trying to reach her, form a telepathic connection. He needed to know she was ok; he needed to hear her melodic voice sing to him.

With each passing second Lorenzo calmed the ferocious animal within him. He conquered the quakes of fury bleeding through his skin. He forced every muscle in his body to relax, releasing the tension that gripped him. His consciousness detached floating away in search of the one who always eased his burdens.

Through the chaotic streets of a civilized city he roamed. The biting coldness in the air soothed the blazing inferno that brewed underneath the surface. He could feel her; hear the slow rhythmic thump of her heart. She was close.

* * *

She breezed through the air like an eagle eyeing the world below. Her body drifted in the night sky and she felt alive. Bliss couldn't feel this free. Gliding in between the skyscrapers she heard a distant voice call out to her. It was familiar in its timbre and she was drawn to it. She edged closer as the tone grew louder. It rang in her ears like a broken record, but she was more intrigued than afraid.

Her body rose from the bed and hovered as she dreamt. A sensual warmth radiated through her icy flesh. He was here with her. She could feel his heat envelope her weary body. Her love found her and was calling out to her, begging her to answer.

As if a bolt of lightening crashed from the heavens, her midnight eyes shot open. She needed to answer him, let him know she heard him. With a glint of a smile lifting the corners of her mouth she quietly pleaded, "Lorenzo, I'm here."


	3. The Clans

The mortal hatred between some vampire clans began thousands of years ago. They usually stemmed from old rivalries or betrayals that plagued their existence. In New York City, there were five vampire clans who worked together to maintain their way of life. Their stronghold included many legal and illegal interests, but their main function was to keep their true nature clouded in the eyes of the unsuspecting human public.

A governing body known as The Council represented the interests of all the clans. The Primogen or leader from each clan was granted a seat on the council. The five ruling clans who ran operations in New York were Ventru, Gangrel, Toreador, Brujah and the ancient Nosferatu. Each group had their own unique purpose to maintain the Kindred legacy within the modern world. For the most part, the clans stayed out of each other's way, although they have learned to co-mingle when necessary or form allegiances when it suited their needs.

Ventru were the public face of the clans. They easily integrated into the human world by successfully infiltrated the most powerful industries and government organizations around. Lorenzo Alcazar was the Primogen for the clan. He oversaw the dealings of politicians, businessmen and other high-powered investments. The group thrived on power, profit and prosperity, leaving their clan well engrossed in areas where they could easily solidify their unique talents for manipulation. Ventru had exploited and finagled many events in history to promote their own agendas without any thought of consequence.

Jason Morgan leads the Gangrel clan. He has ruled for over one hundred years in the wake of the death of his long-time friend and mentor Lucas Spencer. Since coming to New York in the late 1800's Jason watched his beloved city change and modernize right before his eyes. As a Gangrel, he was used to adapting to whatever situation he encountered and this ability helped him assimilate in the new world. The clan was once filled with nomads who roamed freely throughout the earth. However, when humans began identifying the Kindred race and bringing the truth to the forefront, they had to learn to work with the other clans to maintain their anonymity. Gangrel's are known for their fierce loyalty, proud nature, lethal force and keen sense. They have an affinity for the streets and dealing with those who compromise their trust.

Art, music, dance and love are the passions that drive the Toreador clan. Led by the beautiful and illustrious Skye Chandler, the Toreador's represent the most humanistic value in all the clans, sex. They are driven by their erotic prowess, their desire to entertain and to continuously promote the mysterious and seductive world of vampires humans subscribe to.

The longstanding feud between the Gangrel and Brujah clans has continued to fuel the fires between Jason and Sonny Corinthos for centuries. Michael "Sonny" Corinthos is what most would call the devil. In 1878, he was fully engulfed in a war with Lucas Spencer while they both fought for control over a small territory known as Port Charles, NY. The bloodbath lasted ten excruciating years until Lucas succumbed to an ambush that led to his beheading. Since then, the primal vengeance Jason sought for his friend's death had been fiery to say the least. The two clans were mortal enemies and constantly squabbled. Their tirades brought chaos and death, which increasingly involved humans. Brujah are criminals; heavily involved in illegal businesses around the docks and shipping lines.

Archon Kane rules the Nosferatu clan. They embody the true face of a vampire, as they were the first to walk the earth. Known as mystical creatures, the Nosferatu possess magical powers and are seers of the present, past and future. They rule the underworld society of Kindred residing in the dark shadows and living underground. Through five millennia of existence, Archon and his disciples chose to remain neutral in many Kindred conflicts. Their impartiality has aided in their notoriety of being fair bringing a semblance of balance among the clans.

Through their collective struggle to survive under the radar of the human race, Kindred have had to unite for the commonality of their race. Their inner disputes have led to gruesome battles over the centuries, but their need to exist and live keeps them in line, for they have only each other if the general human population learns of their presence.

* * *

She awakened in the dark room to an eerie stillness. Elizabeth felt different. All of her senses seemed to be acute as she sat up and took in the dim intensity hidden in the room. When she closed her eyes, she remembered what had occurred. Lorenzo called out to her, but how she questioned. She hadn't seen him, but she felt him all over. His voice rang through her head as if he were standing a few feet away. When she closed her eyes, she felt him again. He lingered in the room, an essence, a spirit, something that clearly identified with her beloved Lorenzo.

What would she say to him if she saw him? How could she tell him that she was a vampire for god sakes? He wouldn't believe her. He wouldn't even be able to wrap his mind around the idea that the woman he loved was a monster. Her body suddenly became stiff and course. She loved him so deeply and wholeheartedly that a life without Lorenzo wouldn't be worth living.

Elizabeth hunkered down, biting her lip out of despair. A warm trickle of blood seeped into her mouth and her ripened tongue brushed the droplets from her lip. It tasted exquisite and in that moment, she wanted much more. The vicious hunger returned and her tiny body warmed at the thought of feasting.

As she rose from the bed, she trotted sheepishly to the window. She had no idea what time or day it was, but she definitely felt well rested. When she pulled the heavy drapes open, a lightening bolt of rays crashed upon her. The vampire rule book always stated that sunlight would tly killed them, however that was obviously hogwash because the heated emanations not only awakened her languid body, but brought forth the connection to humanity she thought she'd lost.

The sky was blue with puffy white clouds scurrying around. She could have dawdled there for hours, but her appetite needed to be satisfied. Her belly lurched and a painful thump stroked her entire body. The red dress looked crinkled and drab as it hung from her body, forcing her to seek other attire. She ventured to a mahogany armoire where she found suitable clothes and then proceeded to undress and head towards the small bathroom situated on the other side of the room.

The hot water quickly disentangled the tensed muscles around her neck. She lathered her body with peppermint soap and lost herself in the soothing aroma. Elizabeth didn't know how long she bathed, but when the water turned cold, she knew it was over. Opting to forego undergarments, she donned a pair of camel colored stretch corduroy pants and a soft crimson wide-neck sweater that hovered just above her waist. Her beaded Manolo Blanak's added some allure to the demure yet sexy outfit.

Feeling refreshed, Elizabeth fingered her wavy chocolate locks and opened the door. She would brave whatever lurked in the massive apartment, namely one Jason Morgan. Her heels clanked on the hardwood floor of the hallway as she walked toward the top of the stairs. Voices, all male, captured her attention. It was an argument of some kind. She listened closely utilizing her newly sharpened sense of hearing. Her name floated through the air several times causing her to give her undivided attention.

"You have no idea what you've done Jason."

"You're wrong Johnny. I'm well aware of what I've done.'

"Are you? Because Alcazar is on the warpath."

Hearing Lorenzo's name stalled her slow steps down the stairway. 'How do they know Lorenzo' she asked herself. She felt it then, a calling, a perception that he knew she was there. The sound of heavy footsteps pounded from the study located behind the stairs. Before he saw her, he felt her, tasted her, and heard each breath that filtered between her lips. She stood frozen, feeling a warmth come over her like a blanket.

There he was, at the bottom of the stairs, looking at her as if she was the light that brought him life each day. She couldn't turn away or speak as he continued to stare at her while his companions positioned themselves behind him.

"Elizabeth," he softly called out to her.

She didn't know how but she ended up standing in front of him, gazing at him like he was the last man on earth.

"How do you feel?" Jason asked and then offered her his hand.

She didn't seem to notice the brutish glares of the other men because she was lost completely in an ocean of blue. She willingly took the strong calloused hand he offered and followed Jason to the living room.

As they walked, he whispered to her, "You must be famished. You need to feed."

When they reached the expansive bar, he opened the small refrigerator and toiled through until he found what he was looking for. During this time, she never took her eyes off of him and neither did he. He felt the tremors that bombarded her body. Her small hand gripped him as her body lurched forward.

"What's happening to me?" Her fingernails plunged into his skin as the tremors quickly ravished her body. The pain raked her tiny frame with each jolt and Jason accelerated his pace to open the bottle.

"You haven't fed in three days Elizabeth." He removed the top and brought it to her mouth.

"Wait…what…three days? You brought me here…last…night." She shook uncontrollably as the hunger intensified.

"Drink," he replied and proceeded to tilt the bottle so the elixir could drain into her body. Soon, she took hold of the bottle and guzzled until she finished. Licking the remnants with her tongue, she handed Jason the empty bottle.

"It's not enough," she mustered as the tremors continued but the pain lessened. "I…I need…more Jason, please." She looked down and noticed she had never released his hand. For the next ten minutes, Elizabeth consumed five more bottles of the cold red liquid until her hunger subsided.

A few grumblings echoed from behind them and Jason remembered that they were not alone. He watched relief spread across her face as her body relaxed. He stroked her hand with his thumb sending tingling waves of pleasure throughout her body. She closed her eyes momentarily thinking about other ways he could give her pleasure.

Leaning forward, Jason whispered in her ear, "We need to talk Elizabeth."

Her eyes shot open at the close proximity of his lips. A rush of heated liquid punched its way to her core. The sound of his deep sexy voice made her wet, and she somehow sensed that he knew that, as if he could smell her.

When he stepped back, she peered into his eyes and saw them darken with desire. He knew.

"Wha…what do you wanna talk about," she questioned as she tried to shift her eyes away from his.

Jason escorted her to the sofa and sat beside her. This was a discussion that needed to take place, but one he dreaded.

"Elizabeth, you are apart of me now. You need to know what that means, for you."

* * *

It had been three days since Lorenzo discovered the fate of his beloved. It had been three long and lonely days since he called out to her. She heard him and answered, but still she was lost to him; the connection somehow broken.

Today, he called a meeting of The Council to discuss the unauthorized sire of Elizabeth. He had no intention of dealing with Jason through The Council, just to bring the flagrant abuse of power to their attention. Lorenzo knew that Sonny Corinthos would easily side with him, due to their now mutual hatred of the Gangrel leader. However, Skye would be sympathetic as usual. She and Jason had a history together and she still harbored feelings for him.

Lorenzo sought retribution. He was well aware that The Council would only reprimand Jason, similar to a slap on the wrist and be done with the situation, but Lorenzo had other plans for him.

It was a new year and all of his hopes of starting a life with Elizabeth disappeared the minute Jason Morgan embraced her. Lorenzo's heart skipped every single time he thought about her. When he closed his eyes, he always pictured their last encounter. Her soft wavy hair fanned across the red stain sheets as her naked white flesh bled through. He had never seen anything more beautiful.

Lorenzo rested his forehead against the window pane and allowed himself to remember, _them_.

She was upset that day, something about her parents. She stormed into his penthouse furious, yelling and screaming, but when she stopped ranting and looked into his eyes, he broke. She looked so pitiful and distraught; he pulled her into his embrace and let her cry. The sobs shook him to the core.

He knew she needed to be loved and he was the only one able to give her that. Her parents never loved her and they made that abundantly clear throughout her life. From the time she was born, Elizabeth was nothing more than their desire to fulfill their dreams of parenthood. Once she was born, they didn't much have any need for her unless it was to prop them up as 'parents of the year' to their stodgy friends. Never had he met two people so completely absorbed in their own wretched lives like the Webbers. Elizabeth grew up not believing in love, until she met him.

There she was, sprawled out before him and Lorenzo fell in love. He had brought her to his bedroom once she stopped crying. She needed him and he willingly responded. He stood at the end of the bed while she splayed her silky legs open for him. She wanted to feel something, anything other than pain. Lorenzo lifted her one leg and kissed every delicate painted toe on her foot before he whisked his lips along the smooth skin of her calf, making his way home.

She moaned with every kiss he planted and her smoky eyes grew darker. When he reached her inner thigh, Lorenzo sucked in the supple skin branding her. He draped the leg over his shoulder and gently flexed the other one open before he delved his sweet hot tongue into her.

Elizabeth's moans grew fervent as his lips encased her puffy pink ones and he kissed them gently, softly until she began to twist under him.

"Do you like that baby? Would you like some more?"

Her response to his teasing was a growl. Lorenzo returned his attention to her blazing wet core, licking and sucking for what seemed like hours. He knew Elizabeth couldn't hold out much longer, so he plunged two long fingers into her sex while he latched his lips to her tiny bud. She curled her fingers into his short black hair and pulled him deeper into her. He smiled against her womanhood when she came, spewing words of love to him.

Unfortunately, they never had the opportunity to finish what they started that evening when an urgent call interrupted their lovemaking.

Remembering that night only fueled his hatred for Jason Morgan. He took away the best thing that had ever happened to him and the Ventru leader would not just sit back and allow his enemy to get away with it. No, Ventru may seem to be preoccupied with their lust for money and power, but when others aspired to cheat or bully them out of an investment, they became even more ruthless, seeking to destroy their rival by any means.

He had men watching Harborview Towers. He ordered them to notify him immediately when Jason left the building. Lorenzo wanted to bring Elizabeth home, to him and once she was safe, Jason Morgan would suffer his fate.


	4. Life of a Vampire

Her hands were cool to the touch, almost icy. She sat looking at him with regretful eyes. She knew what he had to say to her, telling her about the life of a vampire would be interesting to say the least, but the way he looked at her calmed the nervousness coursing through her arctic veins and eased the erratic clatter in her heart…just a little bit.

He sat across from her, shifting anxiously, aching to touch her. She looked upon him with such trust, yet a hint of fear, and he knew at that moment that he would always want to take care of her, please her, and be the only one she would come to…or for.

Jason gazed into her soulful blue eyes and made a solemn vow to make sure she never feared anything or anyone for as long as he lived, as long as he was her protector. And he would be, forever her enforcer because they were now joined to one another in mind and body.

Elizabeth nervously twitched, fumbling with her fingers as she sat looking in the stoic but warm ocean depths of his steel blue eyes. Whatever he was going to say, she would never be prepared for. So, she thought to herself, she was just going to hear him out without any preconceived ideas about what her new life entailed.

He cast his gaze to her small frail hands and wondered how they would feel caressing the cold dead flesh that encased his body. He wanted to know for a fact how her naked form would feel under his overworked but talented hands. Would she be able to warm him, fill him with the deep seeded need to feel like he used to when he was human?

It had been ages since he thought about his old life. He had forgotten how to taste and feel anything other than death. From the moment Luke sired him, Jason made the conscious choice to never look back, never wonder what his life would have been like if the vampire lord didn't take him. He always had a hero complex, especially when it came to damsels in distress, but one bitterly cold winter night a lifetime ago he stopped living and became a monster. Life would never be the same.

Jason pondered what exactly he wanted to tell her. It had been quite a long time since he had to explain the ways of vampiredom to a new sire. The lifestyle and the responsibilities to the clan were taught and learned quickly without much time for thorough comprehension. The vampire life, the rules, the clans, the history was all too much for a new sire to appreciate, hence the reason 'on the job training' worked wonders.

For the past three days, Jason had argued heatedly with Johnny and Francis about Elizabeth. She could possibly be the catalyst to a clan war of epic proportions just because she happened to be fucking a vampire of another clan. Jason didn't consider the possible circumstances when he decided to save Elizabeth; he just reacted because what she faced was a slow, hellish death at the hands of his enemies and he couldn't live with that.

For days the endless verbal brawl among the men grew into shouting matches as they pondered how Lorenzo would attack. Of course none of them had known at the time of the embrace that the Ventru leader was madly in love with the wisp of a woman that lay dying in the back of their SUV. A shortcut through a dingy New York alley catapulted them all to the point of no return, the moment the beautiful stranger in red became a member of their clan.

Lorenzo Alcazar's fury spread through all five clans like wild fire. Although there was nothing The Council could do in terms of punishment for Jason, since Lorenzo did not stake claim to the woman until after the embrace, it didn't stop him from seeking his own form of vengeance. Elizabeth was his secret indulgence, a human woman who managed to crack through the hardened black shell that once housed Lorenzo's heart and restored life into the aging vampire. He sought retribution for her and for himself.

In looking at her demure but breathtaking disposition, Jason observed how this young woman tamed the beast. There was something strangely familiar and comforting about her. He had done his homework while she slept, needing to know all he could about the socialite.

Elizabeth Imogene Caldwell-Webber was a wild child. Born into privilege, she was a true force of nature. Her upbringing was less than stellar, forcing the debutante to act out, seeking attention wherever she could find it. Sometimes it was in bars, mob infested clubs, extravagant vacation getaways, but mainly in the arms of rich and powerful men who treated her like a prized possession.

In looking at her now, he saw her silent anguish and insecurities. She was shy around him, clearly nothing like the woman he read about. The woman who was staring at him with a hypnotic expression needed him to show her the way of her new life. She was lost, her emotions clouded, wondering if the woman she was three days prior would ever return.

He wanted to reassure her and banish the uncertainty that plagued her. Elizabeth did something to him that stirred a fierce desire to make her happy. Her eyes expressed every emotion she battled within and each time he matched her gaze, he knew he could spend an eternity never breaking their connection.

When he finally worked up the courage to speak, he found himself standing then walking towards the window giving him some much needed distance away from her…scent. He knew moments ago as she drank the blood to calm the hunger, that she wanted him. He could smell her sweet essence escape through every pore in her body. He could hear the blood she drank flow like a raging flood through her veins. He could taste the delicious flavor of vanilla that seared her skin.

The distance between them allowed him time to compose himself. If he was any closer he'd have to take her and that was not an option because there were more pressing matters that needed his full attention.

He stood motionless in front of the picturesque window overlooking Hudson Bay, while she squirmed under the darkened scrutiny of the two men off to her left. They glared at her with disdain. She was the reason they were fighting with their leader, she was the reason Alcazar wanted a war and she was the reason Jason seemed so damn preoccupied.

"Jason?" she called out to him. "What do you need to tell me?"

Her melodic voice sang through the jumbled voices he heard in his head. He paused slightly when Francis mumbled something under his breath calling attention to the unique situation that was laid out before him.

She cast her eyes downward when the men mumbled incoherently and they continued to bear down on her like vultures. She was uncomfortable, he saw it.

"Leave us," he ordered. Johnny and Francis didn't move until he shifted his attention back to them. He dared them to defy him, but instead they quickly conceded and departed swiftly.

"I am the leader of the Gangrel clan, known within the clan as the Primogen," he said as he slowly turned to face her. "You are now bound to this clan Elizabeth. You are one of us."

Briefly the look of panic ravaged her sullen face before it disappeared.

"Wha…what does that mean exactly?"

Her nerves were on overdrive. She began to gnaw on the already battered flesh of her bottom lip. He couldn't help but focus all of his attention on the action. It was endearing and he mentally pictured what it would be like for him to suck on it…tasting her. Elizabeth's hands trembled as she massaged her fingers mercilessly.

He walked over to her, sat down and placed a healing hand over hers. Although his skin was cold, there was warmth emitting from his touch that eased her anxiety. She glanced at his monstrous hand then raked her eyes upward until she encountered the familiar shade of blue that seemed to comfort her soul.

"I don't want you to worry ok? No one will hurt you."

She shook slightly from the intensity of his glare. While one large all encompassing hand began to rub hers, the other gently wiped a single tear she hadn't realized she shed.

"I'm not afraid Jason," she whispered turning her head into the hand that stilled against her cheek. "So…does this mean I'm staying here with you?" Water filled her shining orbs as another drop fled down her face.

"It means you are now my responsibility Elizabeth."

She pulled away, releasing herself from his touch. She needed answers and he wasn't offering them as quickly as she'd like. Elizabeth knew there was much more, Lorenzo being a large part and she was determined to know it all, no matter how much it may hurt.

She was still very much in love with Lorenzo, that didn't seem to die when she did. Actually, the need for him grew stronger. There was more, she could feel him holding back. It wasn't as simple as her just being his responsibility.

"Dammit Jason," she growled in frustration while rising to her feet, a bit unsteady. "Just tell me what all of this means. Do I belong to you?"

"No," he answered a little too quickly, "Not in the way you think."

Her frustration turned to anger. He was doing it again, stalling, giving her only bits and pieces.

"STOP!" She threw her hand up in defiance. Her eyes softened when she saw this own frustration. "Please Jason," she quietly pleaded. "Just tell me everything." She stepped closer to him, lifted her palm and rested it on his broad chest. His muscles pulsed from her touch.

"What does this have to do with Lorenzo?"

Her plush red mouth was situated in a frown and when she spoke Alcazar's name, it triggered something primal and beastly from deep within him. Jason tightly gripped her wrist and his eyes blackened with rage.

"Alcazar means nothing to you anymore Elizabeth." The words bled through her like a puncture wound. She not only sensed his fury, but she felt it as if it were her own.

"How…How do you know Lorenzo?"

Again his unyielding hold constricted around her frail wrist, causing the pale skin to bruise an ugly shade of blue. His nails dug into her flesh as his stormy eyes burrowed down on her as if she were his prey.

"He is a vampire, or did you not know?" Jason spat the words as if they were venom. A sinister smirk quirked on the side of his mouth as he appreciated the look of utter shock on her face. She stood frozen in place, clearly not expecting the revelation.

"What's the matter Elizabeth? You didn't know you were fucking one of us all along?"

As the words leapt from his sardonic mouth he immediately regretted them. His misplaced anger toward her past relationship with his rival clouded his common sense. She was not to blame for loving a man that lied to her. She was unknowing of his deception and Jason hated the way he reacted.

Elizabeth forcibly yanked her arm from his hold, tentatively stepping backward. He was being cruel to her and she didn't understand why. She couldn't begin to deal with Jason at the moment as her attention shifted to the information he offered. Lorenzo, her wonderfully amazing Lorenzo was a vampire. How could she not have known?

She was a fool, a stupid, naïve, completely ignorant fool.

Jason saw the realization play out and he felt sorrow. He reached for her in a silent request for her forgiveness. His eyes changed returning to the shade that drew her to him, willing her to follow them wherever they would lead. She fought the urge to go to him and have his thick arms secure her to his body and allow her body to meld with his. Every neuron in her body throbbed with electricity, pleading with her to take his hand and accept the security he offered.

"I'm sorry," he conceded in defeat when she did not come to him. Dropping his hand to his side, he continued, "I shouldn't have said it like that."

Now she was pissed. He had no right to react the way he did .She had a life, a beautiful life with the man she loved until _he_ decided to change it.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she berated as her thin index finger slammed into his hardened chest. "I did not ask for any of this. How dare you even insinuate that I should have known about him? How the FUCK could I have known?"

Her icy skin burned with each fiery word that screamed from her mouth. "Do you think this is easy for me _Master_ Jason?"

He caught the offending hand that had struck him repeatedly in the chest. His touch once again sent a rush of warmth that pooled somewhere she ached for him to touch. She didn't know what it actually was, the pull, but it consumed her every single time their skin made contact.

"I know," he began coolly in an attempt to control his anger, "This isn't easy for you Elizabeth. I know." The slow and deliberate delivery of his final two words splintered the furious wave that raged in her tiny frame. She took it for what it was, an apology.

"I…I'm sorry for what I said." A burst of heat traveled from his robust lips and swept along hers. She didn't know exactly when they had closed the distance between them and stood mere inches away from each other.

He still held her hand, intertwining their fingers to physically make the connection, allowing the energy to flow through their bodies.

"Lorenzo Alcazar leads a rival clan. He knows what I have done to you."

She never took her eyes off of him. He tried to prevent the movement, but failed as he captured an errant silky strand of hair between his fingers. Mesmerized by the soft texture and completely taken by the tender moment, Jason turned his gaze to her mouth as the strand breezed by her full lips when he tucked it behind her ear.

On pure instinct, she closed her eyes. The simple gesture sent shockwaves of want channeling down to her now moistened womanhood. God, why did she feel this way every time he touched her? What was it about him that made her crave to have his long fingers stroke every inch of her until he filled her full.

'I need to keep you safe Elizabeth, at least until I have handled the situation."

The pull grew stronger with each breath she took. Another step closer and his mouth would only be a whisper away from hers; close enough for her to taste him like she desperately wanted to do.

"Jason…"his focus trained on her soft pouty lips as his head descended lazily towards her awaiting mouth. He licked his lips, wetting them for her. He could feel his blood boil from the anticipation of tasting her sweet as honey lips. How he managed to fend off the hunger to have Elizabeth in his arms, in his mouth for this long, he did not know.

The arduous movement brought him closer and closer to home. She still watched him as he crept toward the heaven he dreamt of since the embrace. Her hot breath fanned across his now parted lips. He inhaled her scent, loving how it filtered into his cold body, warming him.

Just as his lips were about to take hers and the journey to the long awaited kiss coming to an end, Elizabeth chimed five words that crushed him instantly.

"I want to see Lorenzo."


	5. Mine NC17

Stroking a long flute sensually as the clotted crimson elixir slipped past his lips, Lorenzo was interrupted by the abrupt tenor of one of his guards. The man halted his stride a good five feet before reaching his master.

"We have word that Ms. Webber left Harborview Towers about twenty minutes ago."

Silence.

"Morgan is still in his penthouse, alone."

He emptied the contents of the glass with a large gulp before responding to his foot soldier.

"What about the other two?" he asked while still concentrating his attention to the view of New York from his expansive balcony.

"They have departed as well."

He abandoned the barren crystal on the ledge and walked back into the apartment. Lorenzo trudged casually to a large wrought iron mirror and readjusted his cranberry tie as he straightened his appearance. His plan would be executed shortly and Elizabeth would once again be in his arms within a few short hours. With a wicked grin, he surmised that revenge was a dish better served cold, ice cold.

He could almost smell her when he allowed his mind to venture back to the dream he had the previous night. Her soft skin glistened with a thin layer of sweat while she moaned his name as he pumped into her body like a rocket. His nose buried into the lush tendrils of curls that fanned out on the pillow.

Never had a member of one clan commingled with that of another. It was an ancient rule no one dared to cross, but for Lorenzo, it did not apply to him. He didn't care that Elizabeth was sired by a rival clan, he didn't give any thought as to how people may react, nor did he ponder how his actions would provoke a war. All he wanted and cared about was her. If any Ventru had an issue with his choices, they would have to deal with him directly and Lorenzo was not a man that welcomed dissention within his faction. His word was law.

He would kill anyone to have her, especially now that she probably knew his secret. They could be together freely in all the ways of a vampire. He pricked the inside of his mouth with his sharp canines at the delicious thought of finally being with her completely. He imagined them feeding together, frequenting the vampire hideouts all over the city and ruling the Ventru together. She would be his lifelong companion just as he planned.

Both he and Sonny devised a scheme to infiltrate Harborview Towers. The building was owned and operated by Gangrel so it would be quite a hefty feat to gain access to Jason's penthouse, but that did not stop a man like Lorenzo. No, the hunt was always the best part. Initially they had plotted several ideas to make sure Elizabeth was safe before they went after Jason and the clan, but according to the information he just received, she was already gone, so they were free to hunt their target without any harm to her.

In a few short hours, if not sooner, Harborview Towers would be reduced to a pile of burning rubble. The thirty story structure was infested and it needed to be condemned immediately. Sonny came through with what was needed to bring the building and as many of its Gangrel occupants down. Brujah and their bombs; they did love to blow things up, especially Gangrel sludge. This was a win/win situation for both parties involved since Jason Morgan would finally be dealt with once and for all. Sweet victory.

With one final tug of his charcoal grey suit, Lorenzo was ready to move.

"Are you ready?" the loyal guard asked.

Lorenzo shifted masterfully in his black Italian loafers. "Let's go. I need to see this for myself."

As they sauntered towards the front door, it swung open and another guard stepped into the threshold. Before he could speak, the sweetest sound Lorenzo had ever heard purified the drab stagnant air that clogged his senses.

"Let me in you idiot! He'll want to see me."

The guard modified his stance so the visitor behind him could come into view.

And there she was in all her glory. Her tight little body crowded in a slinky leather skirt that stalled mid thigh and a form-fitting azure blue cashmere scoop-neck sweater under an opened wool petticoat. Her long sexy legs wrapped in sheer ebony stockings and a pair of four inch stiletto's completed the ensemble.

His ability to speak vanished as his now shadowed orbs feasted on the sight before him. She looked good enough to eat…mmmm… that's exactly what he intended to do.

"Lorenzo," she purred as she hiked both corners of her mouth in a devilish smile.

He stepped to the side to allow her access and he dismissed his men with just a look. They bolted from the apartment, acknowledging the glare of fire Lorenzo presented them with the second she walked in.

He lunged for her arm, drawing her hard into his burly chest. Before she could even comprehend the movement, Lorenzo slammed her back into the door.

"Lorenzo…" she began but was silenced by the power of his hungry lips as they devoured her.

He jerked himself away from her mouth and fell to his knees. He pawed her legs, shoving the offending leather material upward. He then clamped his huge hands on her thighs, spreading her legs. She stumbled at the intrusive action causing her to lean forward. Lorenzo steadied her, never looking at her.

He parted her legs even wider taking in the silky feel of her thigh-high stockings. He slid his playful fingers down the back of her thigh until he reached the ridged muscle of her shin and hiked her leg onto his shoulder.

"Wha…what are you doing?"

Silence.

He didn't want to talk; he didn't have the strength to form any words in his mind. All he wanted to do was feel…her.

He inhaled the sweet aroma of Elizabeth. She was wet and oh so hot.

Lorenzo plunged his head into her center, nuzzling his nose at her core and taking her fragrance into his body. He missed it so much.

"Oh…mmmm," she moaned when his mouth skimmed her now pulsing outer lips.

She gazed down on him, most of his head hidden under her skirt. He was always so eager to taste her and this time would be no different. Elizabeth allowed the sensations to conquer her; she had no intention of stopping the erotic wonders permeating from her hot spot.

She speared her fingers through his hair and groaned with pleasure when he latched his teeth onto her thong and split the scrap of fabric in half. Lorenzo didn't give her too much time to react as his tongue slithered along her scorched skin until it buried itself inside her.

"OH GOD!"

Her hips whirled in a circular motion as his entire face sunk into her heat. He lapped at her protruding rosebud so feverishly she screamed with pain and pleasure when his now extended fangs nipped at her sensitive flesh.

"Please….oh god Lorenzo," she pleaded.

He ravaged her like an animal starving for a morsel of food. Blood began to trickle down her thigh has his razor sharp fingernails ripped into the thin layer of skin. The beast in him growled when the scent of her blood flourished to his nostrils. He couldn't resist tasting it, taking her in his mouth.

She groaned with disapproval when his lips abandoned her clit, though the fiery trail of his tongue as it traveled down to the slow trickle of blood did almost make her come. She was so damn close to release when he opted for the taste of blood rather than the taste of…

Lorenzo shivered in anticipation of taking her blood into his body. As the tip of his tongue scraped the open wound and the sweet iron taste of flowing plasma drenched the muscle, Lorenzo stilled.

He sprang to his feet when the liquid sizzled on his tongue like acid. He coughed up any residual drops that may have escaped down his throat and spat out her blood as if it were the foulest thing he ever tasted.

Without knowing what he was doing, but just reacting to the blood, Lorenzo wrapped his fingers around her neck and lifted her about two feet above the floor. Elizabeth panicked at the glowing red orbs that stared back at her and the sharp, lethal fangs that looked like they would tear her throat out.

"Fucking Gangrel blood!" he seethed.

* * *

She left the penthouse almost a half hour ago and still Jason hadn't moved from the very spot where he was about to kiss her until she did the unthinkable…she asked to go see her fucking boyfriend.

The apartment resembled a war zone with broken glass and furniture strewn all over the living room. His rage over her request and then her retreating form as she walked out of the penthouse after changing her clothes for some odd reason, sent him reeling; but it wasn't until he actually saw what she was wearing as she trotted down the steps that enraged him to the point where he destroyed the main living space of the apartment.

She fucking looked amazing, like a delicious treat after a long hard day. What he noticed most about her attire were the shoes. They added a good four inches to her height bringing her right up to his mouth. Her eyes were colored in a smoky blue hue that accentuated her eyes, but her lips and nails adorned a sinful shade of devil red that caused his manhood to rise rapidly.

She was different. The woman that he pushed away from him when she spoke Alcazar's name looked afraid and nervous, but the vixen that sauntered her firm little body across the room towards the door was relaxed, focused and completely in control. How he managed to let her walk out without stripping her naked and plunging his throbbing erection into that mouth astonished him.

"FUCK!"

He was frustrated…more with himself than anyone else. She had this fucking hold on him that he couldn't shake and it was making him crazy. He needed to regroup, take some time to clear his mind. Elizabeth invaded every dream, every thought, every long pause and it was taking its toll on his mental health.

Jason kicked the splintered leg of the coffee table that lay at the foot of the bar. The shattered wood bounced against the side of the pool table before it landed in front of the balcony door. He reached for a tall black bottle just behind the counter on a shelf. Inside was just what he needed to ease the ache that pulsed between his thighs and dissolve the image of Elizabeth…even for a little while.

He easily popped the cork on the bottle and tipped the head on his bottom lip tilting the bottle when a slow burn suddenly inflamed his erection. He dropped the bottle as a rush of pure adrenaline exploded through the head of his penis sending him forward to rest his body against the structure that was now holding him up. Endorphins popped and a charge of electricity resonated from his brain to the tips of his toes.

"Elizabeth," he moaned.

He could feel her as if she were inside of him. Whatever was happening to her, he was experiencing it as well. He was panting and moaning as another surge of pleasure erupted.

Jason's massive rod shifted against the constricting denim surrounding it. It was becoming too painful and he needed to ease his suffering. He unfastened the three buttons on his jeans when a euphoric wave stalled his progress. His palms sprawled against the wooden countertop of the bar. He could hear her staggered breathing, feel the heat boiling her blood and taste….taste her impending release.

"Oh god." He chanted the same words she sang in his head. She was there, with him, but she wasn't.

He was confused…what the hell was happening to him. It was…it was as if someone was pleasuring her.

As he attempted to raise his pulsing body, her voice filtered in again. _"Lorenzo_."

In the blink of an eye, Jason's fingernails extended to sharpened claws. His bones cracked under the intrusive pressure as he began to change. His pupils dilated and glowed a demonic shade of stormy black and his fangs extended into a vicious snarl.

She was with him, his enemy. Elizabeth, his Elizabeth…the woman he longed to taste, suck, feel…love every second of every day since he embraced her. She…she was receiving pleasure…from Lorenzo.

He growled with possessive fury. "She's MINE!" He thundered toward the door as his boot clad feet stomped against crushed glass. "MINE!"


	6. No Turning Back

Delusional. That is exactly what Lorenzo had become since he first met Elizabeth. He had thought the human woman was his entire world. She gave him so much to look forward to and once he embraced her she would be a part of him for eternity. He was completely insane to believe that she, after being embraced by a rival clan, could ever truly be his, like he had dreamed many times before. He never took into account the corrosive biting taste of his enemies blood, but instead focused all of his attention on being inside her, feeling her, and making her his.

She felt his jagged nails stabbing through the delicate skin around her neck, his hot breath burned her as if he were shooting flames and his two knifelike fangs grazed her lips. Blood seemed to ooze from his fiery eyes, he was going to kill her, she knew it, she could sense his hatred and fury and for the first time since they met, Lorenzo frightened her. This was not the man she had fallen in love with.

The sound of cracking bone plucked her back into reality. At the base of her neck, she could feel the pressure of his grip as one tiny bone after another began to fracture under the weight of his hold. He was killing her, albeit slowly, for a vampire cannot die just from broken bones and she instinctively knew that. She was quite aware of how he was going to take her life and send her corpse straight back to hell, where all vampires were laid to rest. He could bleed her dry by ripping her neck and leaving her to slowly fade away, feeling the loss of every drop of blood in her body. It would be painful beyond words; or he could show mercy and take his spiked nails and sever her head, she would die instantly…no pain.

But Elizabeth didn't want to die. She came to him willingly so they could talk and do much, much more. She never thought, especially after the way he welcomed her into his home, that Lorenzo would be the monster that was inches away from killing her. She needed to look beyond the beast and find the man, the love of her life.

"P…pl…please," she uttered painfully as the lack of oxygen began to take it's toll. Her eyes bore directly into his in an attempt to make contact with the one she loved. He wasn't lost to her; he was in there somewhere, underneath the hate and madness.

"How dare you come to my home, you Gangrel BITCH! I should rip your fucking head off." In that moment, he made the decision to send her shredded body back to her clan. As he disengaged his jaw to provide him a bigger and better bite, the Ventru leader sunk his razor-like teeth into her flesh.

A rush of fire soared through her body. She could feel her flesh slowly being torn from her body and a rush of warm blood escaping through. She needed to do something, anything, before he killed her.

"LORENZO!" she screamed before she swiftly rammed her knee into his groin. For some unknown reason his shaft was fully erect as if killing her brought him some sort of primal pleasure. He roared from the combustible pain she inflicted forcing him to release his hold on her neck.

Elizabeth crumbled down onto the floor gripping the side of her neck as flesh and blood seeped through her fingers. She gurgled while trying to breath. She didn't have much time, but she needed to reach him before he came back at her again. Her dimmed eyes saw him stumble backward holding himself. He was in agony, but she needed to buy herself some time. Lorenzo bumped into the edge of a credenza, while he wailed from the piercing jolts that rocked every nerve, every muscle, right down to his bones.

She had to concentrate hard in order to reach him. Somehow she knew that at some deeper level he would hear her. Elizabeth closed her eyes, calmed her breathing and called out to him repeatedly, each time she uttered his name it would be softer until she finally was able to do it without opening her mouth.

"_Lorenzo my love, hear me." _

Her voice seemed to resonate as a stilled calm came upon him. His fangs retracted as did his nails, the dead red eyes slowly changed back to the beloved blue she remembered.

"_Look at me,"_ she cried in a whisper. She could tell that they had reconnected, that he could finally hear her. Elizabeth shoulders began to relax and a wisp of a smile caressed her face as her Lorenzo returned. His head slowly rose until their eyes met. He remembered.

Lorenzo ignored the suffering and pushed himself upward to a standing position. She continued to speak to him, in his head with her sweet melodic voice. For the first time since he had tasted her blood, Lorenzo saw his beloved. She was bleeding badly, her body racked with torment from his vicious bite. He rushed to her side and knelt down before her.

"What have I done," he wailed as he took in her dying form. "Oh god Elizabeth, my Elizabeth." The panic and horror in his tone was of a man who hurt the woman he loved. She gasped for air as more of her blood drained out onto the floor, but she managed to raise her other blood soaked hand to his face.

"I….I'm so sor…sorry."

He smelled it again and he could feel the beast stir within him. Gangrel blood was smeared on his face and it took every ounce of control for him to keep the beast at bay while he tended to Elizabeth. She grew weaker by the second and Lorenzo knew if he didn't act fast, there would be nothing he could do to save her and the thought of losing her forever was something he would not allow himself to entertain. He _can't_ live without her…there would be no point.

"Don't be afraid my sweet," he whispered to her. "I will save you, you won't die."

Lorenzo planted his arms around her upper back and under her knees before lifting her. He carried her soft body to the couch gently placing her down. Her tiny form began to jerk and twitch from the loss of blood and the now impeding hunger for the elixir it had lost. She needed to feed so her body could rejuvenate and heal.

Time seemed to stand still. She could hear him moving about in the room, the fierce beating of her heart to pump more blood, the rush of air filtering through the vents, muffled voices out in the hallway, and…. and him. Jason.

Pain…so much pain. He was hurt and somehow she knew that he was aware of her situation. He was talking to her…very low, breathing…hard…labored. Elizabeth sensed him as if he were in the room with her, as if he were inside of her.

"_Eliz…a…beth."_

Her eyes widened, his voice came through so clearly. As Lorenzo gathered bottles and bottles on a tray she replied telepathically, _"Jason."_

"_I…I'm…co…coming for you. Stay." _He was hurting; she could feel it…but somehow she understood that what he was experiencing was because he sensed and felt her attack. The thought of him hurting because of what happened to her, added to her own suffering, causing her mind and body to begin to shutdown. Even for a vampire, there was only so much her body could absorb before it needed to cleanse and heal.

"_Hurry Jason…please…hu…rry."_ The communication ended with her final word. She was gone.

Lorenzo didn't notice her; he was too busy finding bottles of O Negative blood, as it was the purest form. It would heal her quickly as long as she had enough in her body to sustain the restoration process. He had to make her well, he needed to or he might as well die with her.

When he turned and walked toward Elizabeth, he saw the bluish color of her lips, eyelids and fingernails. She laid so still, so lifeless, Lorenzo almost dropped the tray. He had to hurry but he realized that she would not be able to feed from the bottles. She was unconscious, lingering in that dark universe between life and death. He rushed to her side and placed the tray on the rectangular glass table next to the couch. He needed to get blood into her system quickly.

"MAURICE!" his voice boomed while he waited for his guard to enter.

The stocky guard flung the door open and quickly bolted to his master. Before he could answer Lorenzo, his boss ordered, "Go and bring me the IV." The guard paused for a split second wondering what had happened to the feisty, loud-mouthed brunette that pushed her way through earlier.

"NOW!" Lorenzo yelled and the guard jolted out of the room. He returned less than two minutes later with an IV stand holding two large pouches of the red serum. It was kept in a walk-in refrigerator hidden behind a wall in the kitchen. This was the backup system used when vampires were injured too badly to feed on their own. It allowed the blood to instantaneously enter through a vein flooding the body with what it needed for survival.

The leader took a hold of the long thin needle attached to the clear plastic line where the blood would flow and punctured the large thick vein on the inside of her wrist. He rose to his feet and released a small, almost invisible valve just under the pouches allowing the liquid to course directly into her body. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, sorrow and regret filled his thoughts. He did this to her, Elizabeth…but he would make it all better. He reassured himself that she would be fine and by the time she woke up, Jason would be dead and she would be his.

* * *

With his vampire form in full effect, Jason tugged the front door of his penthouse open and slammed it against the wall, the knob impaled into the drywall. He was livid beyond words and he wanted to make someone hurt, like he did. He could still hear her whimper in his head, her soft moans of pleasure burned in his memory. Faint murmurs of her racing heartbeat ignited his own. He could taste her on the tip of his tongue, her sweetness dripping into him like hot wax off a candle. Jason needed to get to her fast and he was willing to do or kill anyone who stood in his way. He would find her and bring her home…to him.

He stomped down the long corridor outside his penthouse heading for the stairs. Two of his guards waddled behind him making sure they kept their distance. Their boss was furious the likes of which they had never seen and it was safer for them to just hang back. Jason shoved the metal door to the stairwell and flew down each flight, barely allowing his feet to touch the steps. His body pulsed with vengeance as he descended down to the main floor.

When he reached the tenth floor, a cold rush swept through his body. It was so powerful he stopped at the base of the stairs. He immediately began to hyperventilate as if air was being constricted around his throat and his body worked furiously to draw in oxygen. The tightness against his neck felt like a vice. He could feel puffs of air venting out of his mouth as he gasped.

His loyal guards edged closer to see what was happening to their leader. Never had they seen him like this and neither of them wanted to do anything to upset him. One of his men, a medium build redhead came to stand behind Jason as he lay hunched over the railing. His labored breaths were slowing and the guard, named Henry, knew that it was not a good sign. When he came around Jason and looked at his face, he could see the beginning hints of an eerie bluish hue in his skin, especially on his lips and the tips of his fingers.

Concern and fear were expressed on Henry's hardened face. He flashed the other guard a look that noted the urgency in getting Jason help, so both men placed their strong hands on their leader and quickly began to guide him down the stairs. Jason's body heaved and twitched in their hands, he looked like he was in the throws of choking…the air slowly siphoned out of him.

When they finally reached the main floor, the guards were practically dragging him across the marble floor when a loud boom rattled the building. At that precise moment, Jason took a much-needed gulp of air before he screamed like a dying animal. He bellowed so loudly, the men on either side of him loosened their hold and covered their ears as the piercing cry infiltrated their eardrums.

The pain was indescribable. He stumbled and then fell to his knees as a wretched ache roasted him from the inside. The feeling was like nothing he had ever experienced. He felt the ragged sharpness of teeth ravaging his neck, the stripping of flesh from his bone, the gush of blood flowing like a waterfall. He felt all of it, but when he looked down at his hands and the floor beneath him…there was nothing. No blood, no evidence that this was really happening.

Another powerful boom drummed throughout the building. Henry and his partner Lou had no idea what was causing the sound or the rumble but when the screeching screams of people sailing down the stairs and barging through the door behind them met their ringing ears they knew something was very wrong. Before they could even comprehend the severity of the situation, chunks of marble and stone began to fall around them. The paintings on the wall, along with the light fixtures crashed onto the floor. The entire building seemed to quake and shift.

Completely unaware of what was happening around him; Jason internally reacted to something, a softness, a familiar scent, a pleading that he recognized as…

He called her name, fumbling the word as it physically pained him to say it. It was her…she was the one who was hurting…dying. Then he heard her call out his own name, her strained breathing, she was struggling for air…for life. She seemed calmer, her heart wasn't thundering any longer, but still it throbbed to survive. She needed him so badly and he had to go to her, help her, heal her, his sire, his woman…Elizabeth.

"_I…I'm…co…coming for you. Stay,"_ he ordered and knew she would comply because she was too weak to move.

As the fog of her torment began to lift away from him, Jason felt strong arms lifting him and rushing toward the double doors leading outside. His eyes shifted from side to side as clouds of dust plumed around them. People rushed by him urgently as the building swayed. Blocks and blocks of concrete littered the floor and more seemed to crash as if…as if…

"It's coming down!" Henry yelled.

All three men pushed through the falling rubble as did masses of former occupants of Harborview Towers. When they reached outside, the flow of bodies led them down the sidewalk heading uptown. The sound of the once regal building as it crashed onto the busy and bustling street of East Forty-Fifth was deafening. Voices of fear and panic littered the area; the emphatic noise of crushing metal as concrete and stone fell upon the vehicles scattered on the street…pure chaos. Lives were lost.

Jason watched in horror as his home was decimated before his eyes. The Gangrel sanctuary that was once the elite Harborview Towers was now destroyed; reduced to nothing of what it used to be. As emergency personnel came onto the scene, the three men forged ahead bypassing onlookers and news reporters, heading to safety. This was not an accident, but a planned attack on the clan. The first move was made upon the Gangrel, so their only retaliation was to go after those who wronged them, those who committed mass murder against their clan, and those who held a petite young woman hostage.

* * *

They entered the two-story structure on the corner of West Fifty-Second and Third. It housed a bookstore and café and much more. The men sped by the customers and employees and walked steadily toward the rear. They entered the kitchen and continued forward to a heavy steel door that required an optic scan for entry. Jason stepped in front of the small device encased in the wall and allowed the computer to run a laser across his retina. The loud click alerted them to open the door.

At the far end of the long dimly lit corridor was a set of stairs that led down to another steel door. Like the one previous, an optical scan was initiated and they walked into the room. Dozens of eyes raked over them as Jason and his two guards trudged through a sea of high-tech surveillance equipment and fellow Gangrel that worked with them. Rarely did Jason visit this facility, so they understood that this visit was unplanned. Many of them had watched helplessly on cameras as their home and safe haven imploded. They had lost brothers and sisters that day, so their determination to inflict their special brand of revenge helped them stay focused.

Johnny walked toward him inspecting his leader's appearance. As head of security for the clan, Johnny's concern for Jason's safety was evident.

"I didn't think you'd make it," he chimed before embracing Jason in a hug. When they released, Johnny nodded to Henry and Lou grateful they all escaped without injury.

"Elizabeth is hurt." Jason offered his friend a biting look, fury rolled off of him in waves. "I need to get her away from Alcazar."

He walked away leaving them all with their mouths agape. Johnny's concern turned to rage. It was all her fault, all of this. How the hell did she end up at Alcazar's? He turned on his heels and followed Jason into a secluded room. Francis, Henry and Lou followed.

"What the hell is going on?" Johnny questioned bitterly. "I mean we all know this was Alcazar's doing with a little help from the fucking Brujah."

Jason plopped onto a leather chair and leaned his head back. He was unusually cool for someone who barely escaped death. He knew it wasn't because of him it was because of Elizabeth. He felt her once again but this time her turbulent emotions rescinded. There was a sense of serenity and peace. Her body was cool but not cold, her eyes closed…tired, but not dead. There was still life in her but he didn't know for how long. He had to go and bring her back. She would be safe with him.

In a mumbled but stern tone he responded, "I'm going to get Elizabeth. She needs me." He sprang to his feet, still a little wobbly but maintained his footing.

"You? She brought this on herself man. What the fuck…" Johnny was rudely interrupted by Jason's claw as it wrapped around his neck, lifted him up and slammed him onto a small metal table.

"You ever talk about her like that O'Brien and I will fucking rip your throat out. Do. You. Hear. Me?" The creature in him came to life.

"Jason?" Francis pleaded from behind him. "Let him go, this won't help." Francis laid his hand on Jason's shoulder. The seething leader released Johnny reluctantly, his teeth still fully extended and an evil snarl marked his face.

"You ever say anything like that again Johnny," he warned, "You will die."

Johnny rubbed the burning skin of his neck to alleviate the pain of Jason's hold. He had never witnessed his oldest friend like this…like an animal protecting its young. He didn't realize the young wispy Elizabeth Webber meant so much to Jason. The sire had a power over him and Jason did nothing to stop it or fight it. There was a bond between them that went beyond the embrace; it was as if they were linked physically, emotionally and mentally, almost as if they were becoming one being. Johnny owed Jason his life and they had gone through hell and back over the last century for their friendship and brotherhood to be dissolved over a woman. He would make this right…for all of them.

The mood in the room was a threatening mix of rage and sorrow. Death in the Gangrel clan reached all members, everyone experienced it and each sought to end the pain by going after whoever caused it. They were a tight knit group, a family of diverse individuals from every walk of life who would kill for one another without a second thought.

Johnny cleared his throat, forcing everyone to look his way. "What do you need us to do?" his question clearly directed to Jason. He decided that Elizabeth was important to Jason, so she was now important to him as well.

"We bring her home." His jaw tightened and his fists were clenched. "Then I kill Alcazar."


End file.
